


We all want someone who will love us and hold us

by MercyBuckets



Category: Scoring Chances Series - Avon Gale
Genre: Art School, Christmas Dinner, Found Family, Gen, M/M, Past Child Abuse, past trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:55:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28141233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MercyBuckets/pseuds/MercyBuckets
Summary: “You’re working so hard,” said Isaac, shuffling around in the bedroom. “You’re doing so well, Saint. I love you.”Laurent blushed under the praise. He'd gotten to the point where he didn't feel the instinctive need to lash out with venom at the kind words but he still wasn't sure he deserved them.
Relationships: Laurent St. Savoy/Isaac Drake
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3
Collections: Yuletide 2020





	We all want someone who will love us and hold us

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Devilc](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Devilc/gifts).



> Hi devilc! I hope you enjoy. I tried to incorporate both your prompt about Christmas dinner and the one about Laurent balancing school, work, and a relationship. I hope I did them both justice!

Laurent sighed. That last customer was an asshole. He wanted a particular comic for his brother for Christmas and when Laurent told him it wouldn’t be in until January, he flipped out. Laurent had no patience for the man, especially given that he was in the middle of finals and he’d already spent all afternoon trying to fix the inventory sheet, which was completely fucked still. 

His phone chimed. Isaac. 

**Practice is over. You want me to pick up some pizza on the way home? Too tired to cook**

**Yeah**

Laurent hit send and hoped that Issac wouldn’t notice his bad mood over text. He didn’t want to ruin Isaac’s _good_ mood, not when he’d been down for the past few weeks after fucking his shoulder up in a game. Thankfully his new back up, Antoine Gauthier had been able to step in and shoulder some of the load. Isaac's shoulder wasn’t bad enough to sit out but he’d been sore and miserable and Laurent had been too busy with finals to help much. He knew it was not great to be thinking that sharing his feelings with Isaac was the same thing as _burdening_ him, because it wasn’t. Liz would be having a field day right now; but he just couldn’t be bothered. No, the most important thing was to keep his more self-destructive habits under control and worry about everything else later. Healthy? Not really, but a lot better than before. 

He was alone in the shop right now and while he should probably get back to work on inventory, his final sketch for illustration was due for crit in less than 5 hours, so he pulled out his sketchbook instead. 

He was supposed to be designing the cover for a children’s book, something that he would have wanted to read when he was young, and getting into that mindset was not enjoyable. He didn’t remember any books, aside from comics that were torn up when he was caught reading them. There was a faint, barely there memory of a story with a little girl living on the street and selling matches. That made him think of Isaac, but he worried his classmates and his professor would say this was not a subject for children. Laurent knew better. He and Isaac were living proof of children who didn’t get to choose a life sheltered from the darker parts of life. 

“Laurent, my boy! What are you still doing here?”

Laurent jumped, fighting the urge to hide his open sketchbook. It was just Charlie. “I lost track of time.” 

“I’d say,” said Charlie. “Your shift ended thirty minutes ago. You better get home before that boy of yours comes looking.”

Laurent checked his phone and winced, 6 messages from Isaac. 

**I told Misha we were on for dinner tomorrow**

**Hope thats okay**

**Are you running late? Should I wait?**

**Leftover pizza is in the fridge. I’m guessing you got caught up in finals shit**

**Im gonna run to the store if you need anything**

**Oh mrs bowen left an extra plate of cookies. The fridge ones are for tomorrow but the ones on the counter are for us. Help yourself**

Laurent shut his sketchbook and shoved into his bag. 

**You were right. Caught up with finals, sketch due tonight. Ill finish at home. On my way now.**

“I’ll see you next week, Charlie,” said Laurent, scrambling into his coat. “Inventory is still out of whack. I’ll fix it after Christmas.” 

Charlie laughed. “Kid, you know you’re the only one using that fancy bullshit. There’s no rush!” 

* * *

Laurent worked through the night, making himself stop to eat. Liz had taught him the importance of sticking to his routines, even when he was stressed. Crit went okay. As suspected, his classmates thought he should tone down his cover but his professor liked the forms and the emotion. Thankfully the final version wasn’t due for another three days. 

“Saint, have you seen my red tie?” Isaac yelled from the bathroom. 

Laurent smiled. These days he had learned to appreciate Isaac’s dressing up strategy of wearing the same jacket with different eye-catching ties for variety. They were broke and it made more sense to buy one nice suit than a bunch of crappy ones. 

“I think it’s hanging on the back of the door,” he said, putting his sketchbook down on the table. He had to get ready for dinner. 

Isaac emerged from the bedroom, tie in hand. “Thanks, Saint.” 

“Can I wear one of your ties?” Laurent, made himself ask. He didn’t know why he was dragging his feet right now. Dinner with Misha and Coach Ashford was usually fun and Mrs Bowen was bringing cookies and that cheese dip that Isaac loved. 

Isaac frowned a bit. “Are you feeling alright?” 

Laurent thought about lying and decided not to. “I’m fine, just moody. The all-nighter probably didn’t help.” 

Isaac ran his hand through Laurent’s hair in a casually affectionate gesture that seemed as natural as breathing on him. “Do you want me to pick for you?” 

Laurent pressed into the warmth of Isaac’s hand and nodded. 

“You’re working so hard,” said Isaac, shuffling around in the bedroom. “You’re doing so well, Saint. I love you.”

Laurent blushed under the praise. He'd gotten to the point where he didn't feel the instinctive need to lash out with venom at the kind words but he still wasn't sure he deserved them.

Isaac steped out with a green plaid tie in his hand, which he looped and knotted around Laurent’s neck, gently. 

It sounded stupid even in his own head but the tie around his neck helped. “Thanks.”

Isaac gave him a wicked smile. “It’s not like it’s a hardship to see you in my clothes.” 

* * *

“--and then he said, that’s an odd place for a piano. And I said, no shit Harold, it’s a cow field.” 

Coach Ashford choked on his drink and would have spit it all over the table if Misha hadn’t shoved a napkin in his face. Even Misha’s lips quirked into a smile. 

Mrs. Bowen gave them all a satisfied grin. She loved the challenge of dragging a smile out of Misha almost as much as Isaac did.

Laurent couldn’t help but smile back. This was his family. He was sitting at table with them, eating plates of food and barely thinking about it, laughing with them. Just a year ago, he would have scoffed at the idea that he could have this but he wasn’t broken. He _could_ have this. He could have Isaac and he could have this. 

“I’ll get the cookies,” said Misha getting up. “Max, you want to put the water on?”

“I think I can do that,” said Coach Ashford. 

“You better not be thinking of sneaking the best cookies for yourself, young man,” said Mrs. Bowen. 

Laurent glanced up to see that Isaac was looking straight at him. “What’s up?”

“Come with me?” Isaac asked.

Laurent nodded slowly. “We’ll be right back I guess.” 

“Don’t take too long boys,” said Mrs Bowen, raising her eyebrow suggestively. 

Isaac snorted. “We won’t.” 

He led Isaac upstairs to his old room where he pulled out a slim rectangular package. 

“I thought we weren’t doing gifts until Christmas,” Laurent accused. 

Isaac pursed his lips. “I wasn’t sure this was a good idea, but I decided to go for it. You can tell me if it’s something you’re not comfortable with.” 

Laurent took the package and carefully tore the paper to reveal two glossy books with richly-colored covers and French titles. “You got these for me?”

Isaac peered at him, looking for his reaction. “Are they okay?”

Laurent lunged forward, closing the space between them and pulling Isaac into a crushing hug. “I love you.” 

“I love you too,” says Isaac, squeezing him back. 

“How did you find them?” Laurent asked.

Isaac sat up. “Goat mentioned them, he called them _band_ _designation_ or something.” 

_“Bande dessinée,”_ said Laurent automatically.

Isaac nodded. “Yeah he said there’s a really big French comic industry. I thought you might … be interested.” 

Laurent hugged the books to his chest, a little teary. “Thank you for taking the risk. I love them.” He was already thinking of how best to frame his illustration final to give to Isaac on Christmas.

“We should probably go back down before Mrs. Bowen tells Misha and Coach Ashford that we’re defiling their guest room,” said Isaac finally. 

Laurent licked his lips. “Yeah.”

Isaac tipped his chin up. “Hey, Saint. I’m really proud of you.” 

Laurent kissed him. “Love you too.” 

**Author's Note:**

> The book Laurent recalls is Allumette by Tomi Ungerer, best known for the original Flat Stanley series. It’s based on the Little Match Girl but has a much happier ending. 
> 
> Goat, as referred to by Isaac near the end is Antoine Gauthier mentioned at the begining in the tradition of hockey nicknames. This is the name I gave the goalie mentioned at the end of Empty Net.


End file.
